Ransomware Attack

Question

Hello,

is there any guarantee if Azure can prevent from ransomware attack? I mean is the Azure VM including the azure backup is protected from ransomware?

Answer 1

@Handian Sudianto

While no platform can guarantee complete prevention of ransomware attacks, Azure provides robust tools and best practices to significantly reduce the risk and impact of such attacks on your Virtual Machines (VMs) and backups.

I recommend reading through Ransomware protection in Azure for details about this. Azure features & resources that help you protect, detect, and respond covers what you can do to help prevent and mitigate these attacks. Backup and restore plan to protect against ransomware covers details about Azure Backup.

A few key things that you can do to prevent or respond to an Azure VM attack are listed below:

1. Backup and Restore Plan:
   • Implement a robust backup and restore strategy using Azure Backup. Regularly back up your VMs to ensure data availability and recovery in case of an attack.
   • Use Azure Backup’s modern air gap feature to store backups in a separate subscription and tenant isolated from production workloads.
2. Network Security:
   • Isolate management ports on VMs from the internet. Open them only when necessary.
   • Use Azure Virtual Network service tags to define network access controls for backup resources on network security groups (NSGs) or Azure Firewall.
3. Patch Management:
   • Keep your VM’s operating system and third-party applications patched and up-to-date.
   • Regularly apply security updates to address vulnerabilities.
4. Strong Authentication and Access Control:
   • Use complex passwords and user account names for VM access.
   • Implement Azure Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to control permissions and limit access to authorized users.
5. Monitoring and Threat Detection:
   • Actively monitor for threats using Azure Security Center. Set up alerts for suspicious activities related to VMs.
   • Leverage Azure Backup Service for monitoring and managing backups.

Hope this helps! We look forward to partnering with you in addressing ransomware protection, detection, and prevention in a holistic manner.

Connect with us:

• AskAzureSecurity@microsoft.com
• www.microsoft.com/services

For detailed information on how Microsoft secures our cloud, visit the service trust portal

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